Meneldor
by isler
Summary: A tale of the Fourth Age which neither time, nor tide could ever quite destroy.
1. Cormallen Retold

**Chapter I - Cormallen Retold**

Author's Note: Many parts of this chapter will quote the fourth chapter of the sixth book of the Lord of the Rings series, but it only serves as an introduction for the rest of the tale. The writing in the following chapters will contain original text. 

"Then [Gandalf] lifted up his hands and cried in a loud voice ringing above the din: 'The Eagles are coming!'...There came Gwaihir the Windlord, and Landroval his brother, greatest of all the Eagles of the North, mightiest of the descendants of old Thorondor, who built his eyries in the inaccesible peaks of the Encircling Mountains when Middle-earth was young." 

"...[T]he earth rocked beneath their feet. Then rising swiftly up, far above the Tower of the Black Gate, high above the mountain, a vast soaring darkness sprang into the sky, flickering with fire. The earth groaned and quaked. The Tower of the Teeth swayed, tottered, and fell down; the mighty rampart crumbled; the Black Gate was hurled in ruin; and from far away, now dim, now growing, now mounting to the clouds, there came a drumming rumble, a roar, a long echoing roll of ruinous noise." 

" 'The realm of Sauron is ended!' said Gandalf. 'The Ring-bearer has fulfilled his Quest.' " 

" 'Twice you have borne me, Gwaihir my friend,' said Gandalf. 'Thrice shall pay for all, if you are willing. You will not find me a burden much greater than when you bore me from Zirak-zigil, where my old life burned away.' " 

" 'I would bear you,' answered Gwaihir, 'whither you will, even were you made of stone' 'Then come, and let your brother go with us, and some other of your folk who is most swift! For we have need of speed greater than any wind, outmatching the wings of the Nazgûl.' " 

" 'The North Wind blows, but we shall outfly it,' said Gwaihir. And he lifted up Gandalf and sped away south, and with him went Landroval, and Meneldor young and swift. And they passe over Udûn and Gorgoroth and saw all the land in ruin and tumult beneath them, and before them Mount Doom blazing, pouring out its fire." 

"And so it was that Gwaihir saw [Frodo and Sam] with his keen far-seeing eyes, as down the wild wind he came, and daring the great peril of the skies he circles in the air: two small dark figures, forlorn, hand in hand upon a little hill, while the world shook under them, and gasped, and rivers of fire drew near. And even as he espied them and came swooping down, he saw them fall, worn out, or choked with fumes and heat, or stricken down by despair at last, hiding their eyes from death." 

"Side by side they lay; and down swept Gwaihir, and down came Landroval and Meneldor the swift; and in a dream, not knowing what fate had befallen them, the wanderers were lifted up and borne... out of the darkness and the fire." 

As they Eagles returned northward, there was an small eruption from the depth of Mount Doom that spewed cinder and small pieces of molten rock high in the air. One landed on he back of Meneldor, scorching some feathers and burning its way into his skin. He flinched at the pain, but focused on carrying Sam safely, and soon the pain disappeared. 

The war was over. There were still many small battles to come, but Sauron was dead. In time, the Hobbits returned to the Shire, the Elves returned to their forests, the Dwarves to their mines, the Humans to their towns and cities, and the Eagles to their eyries in the mountains. The Fist Age was drawing to an end. 


	2. The Three Rings

**Chapter II - The Three Rings**

> _"Three Rings for Elven-kings under the sky,..."_
>
>> The Ring Poem, J.R.R. Tolkien

September 29, 3021: 

Merry, Pippen, and Sam watched as the ship bearing Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf and many Elves sailed through the Gulf of Lune, away from the Gray Havens. With sad hearts, they turned and rode slowly back to the shire. 

The sun began to set as the ship sailed out of the Gulf of Lune. As they sailed toward the radiant colors in the west, the bearers of the three Elven rings decided to rid theselves of their last connection to Middle Earth. They calmly walked toward the port side of the majestic vessel, and in almost perfect unison, removed their own rings, casting them into the water. They watched intently, as the rings sank at an unusually slow rate. 

Before the rings disapeared from site, a rather large, silver fish swam up and swallowed them. With heads solemnly bowed, Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond turned and walked away. Unbeknownst to them, two sharp, skillful eyes watched them as they ceremonially discarded the symbols of the power they had once wielded. 

When the sun had set and a full moon rested high above the horizon, a shadow swooped over the Gulf of Lune from the south. It searched the water silently for several minutes, then wih amazing agility, dipped its legs into the water. The dark, winged figure then soared back into the air and flew south, tightly holding its prey. If someone had been watching then, they might have seen the moonlight reflected off hundreds of silver scales being carried through the night sky. 


	3. Trouble in the Misty Mountains

**Chapter III - Trouble in the Misty Mountains**

IV 121: A year had past since the last member of the fellowship had left middle earth. Eldarion was now King of Gondor, having inherited the throne from his father Aragorn II, after his death a year before. Continuous efforts to rid Middle Earth of orcs, goblins, and all other such remnants of evil, seemed to be nearing success, with only small outcroppings remaining in the depths of Mordor, Mirkwood, and the Misty Mountains. This dwindling opposition was of no considerable threat, but the good people of Middle Earth didn't want to take any chances of future problems. Therefore, the elves, dwarves, and men put their full attention into eradicating the last small pockets of evil. Unfortunately, in doing so, none of the races were aware of the trouble on the peaks of the northern Misty Mountains, the home of the Eagles. October 14: The day was burning down into evening, and it felt like it was going to be a chilly night. Landroval shivered, and the feathers shook all over his body. He glanced up and noticed an eagle in the distance, approaching the aeries. For a few seconds, he pondered who this could be. All of the eagles had already returned for the night. Then as this mysterious figure came closer, he became clearer to Landroval's eagle eyes. He was shocked. It was Meneldor. To Landroval, Meneldor appear not to have aged in the many years since their last meeting. Landroval was about to call out to his old friend, but then he noticed his eyes - much darker than they used to be - and had a feeling that no greeting was necessary. As Meneldor landed in front of Landroval and folded his wings to his sides, Landroval noticed that the talons on his left foot were decorated with three intricate rings. They looked eerily familiar, but before he could ask about them, Meneldor spoke up. He spoke with a voice that clashed with his once care free attitude. "Where is Gwaihir?" "He's on the Great Shelf right now," replied Landroval. "Do you want me to take you there?" "I know where it is," Meneldor quickly replied. He then spread his wings and took off toward the Great Shelf. Those last words had sent a shiver down Landroval's spine. He had a bad feeling about Meneldor, so he waited a few seconds, and then took off after him. Gwaihir was just finishing a conversation with Suldulin, when Meneldor flew over. He immediately recognized the jewelry decoration Meneldor's foot, but ignored it for the moment. "Welcome friend! Was it not a different age when we last saw each other?" "So it was," came the harsh reply. "Where have you lived these long years?" asked Gwaihir. "It does not concern you," replied Meneldor. "I have come back with important business." Then Landroval arrived and was greeted by Gwaihir. "Hello Brother. You may have noticed we have visitor." "Yes," answered Landroval. "We spoke before coming here." Meneldor acted as if Landroval wasn't present. "There are growing threats that the humans and elves have overlooked, and it seems that you yourself have missed these dangers in your old age, Gwaihir. Have you been growing near-sighted in recent years, limiting your sight to these aeries?" "Excuse me..." Landroval was cut short by a commanding look from his brother. "Then, Meneldor," came Gwaihir's calm reply. "What are you saying?" "I am merely saying that a more youthful eagle with greater knowledge and experience in the current world should be in charge." Gwaihir had a bemused look on his face. "Are you suggesting yourself, Meneldor? If I am not mistaken, you are not all too much younger than myself." A fire started burning in Meneldor's eyes. "I may not be much younger than you, but at least I'm not nearly as blind as to what's going on." "I am more than willing to listen to any news or warnings you may bring," said Gwaihir, "but I am still years from passing on my Lordship over the eagles." Meneldor angry voice spoke with a menacing tone that one would never think to hear from a great eagle. "You are not just blind. You have grown senile and confused as well." "I admit; there is one thing I am confused about.Ó Gwaihir was still completely relaxed. ÒWhat are those rings doing on your talons?" "It is unfortunate you have chosen things to go this way," Meneldor said as his body started to tense. Landroval was tired of waiting silently. He was more affected by Meneldor's words than Gwaihir. "What do you mean by that, Meneldor?" Again, he was ignored by Meneldor. "Meneldor." Gwaihir was beginning to sound impatient. "You didn't answer my question." With immense speed, Meneldor flapped several feet off the air, let out a screech that sounded more like a nazgul than an eagle, and thrusts his talons toward Gwaihir. There was no contact, but Gwaihir flew backwards and forcefully struck the rocks behind him. A sickening crunch was heard and Gwaihir's body slumped to the ground, dead. Meneldor calmly landed, turned around, and looked with cruel eyes at Landroval and Suldulin, who were paralyzed with shock and fear. "Does anybody else have a question for me?" 


End file.
